.tel on old mobile phones: Test

Link:
http://dialaroomdottel.co.uk/oldmobiles.html

Dot Tel Domains - New Display Features

By Bill Rutherfurd

The new Dot Tel Domain display is a significant change for this top level extension. The new display will be released in March, 2010. I am somewhat positive about the new display design. However, it seems to have drawn its inspiration from Tax Department forms; especially those of New Zealand, a country South-East of Australia.

Telnic is the promoter of Dot Tel. Their timing with the new design is excellent. It was no doubt planned for the month before the domain's first year renewals which are due on 24th March, 2010. The display changes are dramatic, and welcomed. They are the shot in the arm that this internet top level domain extension needed. I mean, who got any pleasure out of showing anyone their Dot Tel with the current display?

Colour customisation will be offered through a series of templates. I do not know the details yet of those templates. The components of the design appear to be square, whereas the old design was curved. I liked the shape of the previous design. It was the drab colour scheme that was the problem. I am ambivalent on colour customisation because I do not know if it will detract from the Dot Tel brand. I favour just one template with a fantastic design to keep the brand strong and recognisable.

Strong and colourful borders are better. Although colours increase the data amount per page, data costs are falling. Perhaps in time, as data costs drop the display will evolve into something that people really love to see.

The Tel logo will be moved to the bottom of the page. This is a shame because it completed the text header for the current web site page. The current design also put the logo right in the user's face when they pulled up the page. It now has a semi-tube or lens-like design. I preferred the previous Tel logo for its simplicity and I think that the change was not required. It will also affect brand recognition as it will sit below the fold of the page on many computers and mobile phones. Perhaps, the logo position will be adjustable.

The VCard is now at the top right of the page. This an improvement because it makes this important feature more accessible, or noticeable than when it was at the bottom right of the page.

Custom icons have been allowed for popular web sites such as LinkedIn, and Facebook. This is an improvement because well known and colourful symbols can now be placed on a Dot Tel page making the page more exciting. The previous display lacked this excitement factor.

The placing of well-known icons on the page improves the perceived quality of that page because they are some of the best known symbols in the world. They give a web page status whether that status is deserved or not. This is a major improvement which adds value to all Dot Tel Domains. There are also new contact type icons.

One thing missing from the new display is the breadcrumb trail that is on the current display. Studies of usability indicate that the breadcrumb is an indispensable part of a web page. I hope this is an error because it is a significant mistake to remove it. It could be at the very top left of the page on the same line as the new management tools. I hope they do not leave it out!

There are two new features which are critical. One is absolutely necessary and that is a way to search the current Dot Tel or all Dot Tels. Top marks here! The other addition is the top-of-the-page management and login functions. If I am not mistaken, this means that the previously roundabout route to managing a domain is gone. Excellent stuff and in the correct position, as is the search box.

Telnic are also introducing Google AdSense on Dot Tels which will be greatly appreciated by owners. It will provide another income stream for Dot Tel owners, and add credibility to the domain extension. Hopefully, it will not involve any third party applications. This is another step in the right direction.

Telnic at long last have done some things right. There are still things to improve. After being available to the public for nearly a year, there are at last grounds for cautious optimism about the future of Dot Tel.

Bill Rutherfurd is an early Dot Tel adopter. He likes the fast access to contact data and information especially on mobile phones. It is also a very cheap web presence. To visit his Lake Taupo Region of New Zealand Dot Tel directory please use the link at http://www.squidoo.com/Taupodottel. He also has a dottel blog at http://www.dottel.blogspot.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Rutherfurd

.TEL demo at Macworld from Name.com on Vimeo.

Solution for planned new .tel directories and their subdomain names

I figured out, that there are two ways to create .tel subdomains:

1) The classic way:

mycompany.tel
Section Folder
----- section01.mycompany.tel
>Category Folder
---------- category.section01.mycompany.tel


2.) The new method, I discovered:

mycompany.tel
Section Folder01
>Category Folder
----- category01.mycompany.tel

Section Folder02
>Category Folder
----- category02.mycompany.tel

Section Folder03
>Category Folder
----- category03.mycompany.tel

Section Folder04
>Category Folder
----- category04.mycompany.tel

Respectively:
mycompany.tel
Section Folder
>Category Folder
----- category.mycompany.tel

For example, if you where renting a subdomain to a other company, it might be instead of:

---------- category.section01.mycompany.tel
Respectively
---------- teslamotors.cars.mycompany.tel

It would be:
----- category.mycompany.tel
Respectively
----- teslamotors.mycompany.tel

(Of course you can skipp the need for a section folder, if you choose a smart domain name. Example:
Category Folder
----- teslamotors.greensupercars.tel)


With method "2.)" we have to concentrate more, and move the subdomains to category folders, but can do without subsubdomains, and only have subdomains, which are rather short and memorable .tel names (good for company directories).

Method "2.)", became only possible, since we are capable to move folders, to other folders or subfolders.
Here, our folder section of the control panel just gets longer, and there are no subsubfolders, if we don't want to have them.
Instead of having a subsubdomain, we put a subdomain-folder within a other subdomain-folder, to create the same classic folder structure, and keep all subdomain names short.

Before that, we could only work with method "1.)", which gave us long names for subdomains, such as
---------- category.section01.mycompany.tel
Or
---------- subcategory.category.section01.mycompany.tel

Conclusion:
What we still will have, and need, is a structure of subfolders, subsubfolders and subsubsubfolders, etc., and wich enable a smart navigation.
But what we can have now, are short subdomain names, with only one sub-name.
Furthermore, we are able to see all of our subdomains in the folder section of the control panel, without navigating and drilling through folders. We will have to find our subdomains by alphabetic search.

Short strings instead of long strings.

Another example for how to create new .tel directories and their subdomain names (please post your feedback comment, here in this thread, thanks):

No long domain name strings anymore, but we keep the classic folder tree system, for navigating:

We keep the same folder-trees-structure.

But instead of such long strings as for example:
parrysguesthouse.bedford.bedfordshire.england.dial aroom.tel,
respectively (classic strings):
england.dialaroom.tel
bedfordshire.england.dialaroom.tel
bedford.bedfordshire.england.dialaroom.tel
parrysguesthouse.bedford.bedfordshire.england.dial aroom.tel
It would be (no long strings):
england.dialaroom.tel
bedfordshire.dialaroom.tel
bedford.dialaroom.tel
parrysguesthouse.dialaroom.tel

And so, you could dial each of these domain names individually, and see its folder content, like in a classic .tel.

It would be about creating only subdomains (not subsubdomains, or subsubsubdomains), and then moving them to the right place, within the folder tree:

For example, you would have to create the folder/subdomain "bedford" as a direct subdomain of the main domain (bedford.dialaroom.tel), in the folder secton of your control panel, this way:
dialaroom.tel
>bedford
(bedford.dialaroom.tel)
and then move it within the folder tree to its propper position. That is a "hand job", because there is no string, that would be able to place it there for you:

dialaroom.tel
--england
----bedfordshire
-------bedford X
----------parrysguesthouse
.
And so;
bedford.dialaroom.tel
is a subfolder of:
bedfordshire.dialaroom.tel,
but only in the folder structure, not as a string.

And to find parrysguesthouse in bedfordshire, you could still navigate through the classic subfolder tree:

dialaroom.tel
--england
----bedfordshire
-------bedford
----------parrysguesthouse

And, if you dial for example:
bedfordshire.dialaroom.tel
then it would show you:
parrysguesthouse in bedford:

----bedfordshire.dialaroom.tel
-------bedford
----------parrysguesthouse

Conclusion:
All your subdomain names are shorter and more useful.
And you can view them all on one sight, at the folders section of the control panel (alphabetic order).

The only con:
You have more work, and the method can lead to mistakes, if you are not very precise and careful. But the end result is better. And if you get used to working that way, it will be childs play, peanuts.

Once you brought all names in positon of the folder tree, you would not need such a long string, such as:
bedford.bedfordshire.england.dialaroom.tel
As "bedford" can be found with:
bedford.dialaroom.tel,
and will show all its folder content (all houses and rooms available, in bedford, bedfordshire, england).



Example for procedure:

Creating folders for subfolder „Living in Geneva“.

Create within folder section of dashboard, and note on separate document:
living-in-geneva.schiesser.tel
rent-geneva.schiesser.tel
lease-termination-geneva.schiesser.tel
telephone-geneva.schiesser.tel
tele-radio-geneva.schiesser.tel
la-poste-geneva.schiesser.tel
markets-geneva.schiesser.tel

Moving folders:
Move this way:

Go to folder „schiesser.tel“

Move: „rent-geneva“ to „living-in-geneva“.
Move: „lease-termination-geneva“ to „living-in-geneva“.
Move: „telephone-geneva“ to „living-in-geneva“.

And also the other folders.
By simply ticking the box, and moving them to the relevant subdomain folder.

Result:
http://living-in-geneva.schiesser.tel/

While you get your cappuccino at the cappuccino bar, others can see your .tel...

The lovely "Love Train" video...

The lovely "Love Train" video...

Probably the most interesting thing, about domain extensions, are the activities of the supporting communities of the domain extensions.
It basically does not matter, how your domain extension looks like, for it to be successful:
What depends and matters, is how it is promoted.
Follow the history of .com, and you will understand, how and why it got strong and popular.
You can follow the history of promotion and forum-support of any domain extension, and you might be able to discover parallels of smart endeavours, time (-line) and success. (Only love, provided by a fan community, is not enough, to make a domain extension succesfull. See .mobi, for example. It is viable, respectively still alive, because of the love it gets, but to be able to be sucessful, it will need some more support, by the powerful companies, that are supposed to be backing it up. And so, same with .tel...)
Basically, it is always common sense, that saves you, a project, or anything in progress that happen to be in a awkward situation.

What counts, are costly and smart pomoting, time and common sense, that must always be used.
The non usage of common sense and brains, it the death to anything.
The non usage of money, won't help promote, because promoting costs.
The cultivation of plein stupidity may be bad, in times, may be good in other times, because people are sometimes stupid, and trained by media and advertising, not to think, but only to consume, what is offered. The language of stupidity is a language, mankind has learned over the years, and understands. Whatever way you are able to make your self understood: You can earn money, if people understand, what you are selling.

The mixture, of intelligence, stupidity, sex, common sense, etc., is what sells.
Try to sell a perfect and usefull product, only by explaining how it functions, and for it is good: Consumers are not used, only to get dry facts served. They are spoiled, and used to get a daily dosis of adverts, that contain sex, crazyness, stunning effects, etc., and where they do not have to think, but only consume.

And now, here you are with the dot tel domain, in our world today: How are you going to sell it?
The „Love Train“ was popular, because it is funny and sexy, and only explained a minimum of the technology, idea, and features about .tel.
If you will, the „Love Train“ is a promotion video for dummies, that just want a good lough, and some sexual stimulation. Well, the „Love Train“ did the trick, and worked for a short while, and only for a few.
But who are the consumers of .tel?...: All sorts of people and groups. Speak to them (and about their needs and dreams) individually. Make ten completly different videos, addressed to ten different groups of consumers...
.
Anyway:
Here is the code for implementing the (premium qualitiy version of the) video within your blog (however, it is still a stunner and a eye catcher, and nevertheless, a lot of fun):
(Just copy and paste...):


.
.

Is there a confusion?

If you would compare what the registry of the dot tel domain has done for its domain and community within the first year, and what other registries have done in their first year since the launch of their domain extension, than you might be able to conclude and see, that this is simply outstanding and extraordinary. And no other registry and community has made so much effort before, to develope and market its domain within the first year since launch.

I guess that marketing of a mobile domain, has to be done in a similar way a for example as it was done for the iPhone.

.Tel should look upon dot mobi (.mobi), as its brother, because, as far as I know, it is the only other mobile domain that exists. If you will, it is also early days for dot mobi. Wheras dot mobi offers nothing else, than its domain extension „.mobi“ (but which might be very fine, too), the dot tel domain does not only offer its domain extension „.tel“, but also a practical and useful interface, where you not need to have a website, or any hosting, which means, also, that you save money on webspace and the cost for hosting.

We got to learn from our "brother" (.mobi), about the good and the bad, about the pros and cons.
Despite all the negaive talk and the naysayers: Dot mobi is still there, alive, has a demand for it, and gets sometimes some very nice prices at auctions.

Furthermore: Same as with .tel, there are a lot of people who don't get, what .mobi is about, and why a registry had lauched it, and why it has a lot of companies that are backening it financially.
For many things, .mobi won't be able to be of much use, but in some other situations, it is the perfect solution.

Neither .mobi, nor .tel is probably the „one size fits all solution“. But it might fit, for you, or for him, or her. Just tell them about it, and why it might fit and suit them.

Personally, it think, you either have a love affaire with a name or/and extension, or you don't:
Some names with „.com“, or with „.mobi“ just look darn good. I am not sure, about if a name looks better, if it has „.tel“ instead of a country extension, etc., but it sure will feel darn good.

So that is where .tel will have to be good at: At providing a great feeling and experience.

As we all know: „.com“ stand for „commerce“, and „.mobi“ stands for „mobile device, or mobil phone“. But „.tel“?...: Can you go to your telephone, and use „.tel“? However, „.tel“ means „telecommunications“. But if there would be a person having no clue about the meaning of „.com“ he could think as well, that „.com“ meant „telecommunications“. Why not? Or should it be more like „.comm“ for „communications“? - Commerce, as well as communications start both with "com", and "com" could therefore also stand for (tele)communications, if it had not been promoted for the cause of (e-)commerce.

Anyway: „.tel“ might confuse some people with its extension, because they might not be able to figure out, for what „.tel“ is supposed to stand for.

It might be easier for them, if they get a chance to look at a .tel page.

You could even go so far, and say: Well, if you wan't to put it right, according to common sense, than „.mobi“ should look like the dot tel domain. Because „mobi“ stands for mobile and telecommunication.

Imagine, if „.tel“ had only its extension to offer, like „.mobi“...: People would have to develope a mobile version of their website, and change their „.com“ extension for a „.tel“ extension.
This might have even worked better than with the extension „.mobi“ (if .mobi was .tel, and .tel was .mobi).
- If the extension ".mobi" hadn't been already taken by a other registry, would of possibly Telnic chosen that extension for its interface, that was designed mainly for mobile purpose? Would that of made more sense, having the mobile and electronic business card named "company.mobi", instead of "company.tel"?

However, I think it is just important, that users know, for what „.mobi“ and „.tel“ stand for, and how they can be used in the most efficient way. So that it will then be up to them, to decide, if they could benefit from such a extension/domain, or not.

As we concluded: „.com“ or „.tel“ could quasi stand for anything (communications or telefon, etc.).
The strength of the „.mobi“ name might just be, that people are most likely to easily figure out, that the domain name with such a extension is for mobile devices. Maybe even soon, for smartbooks (smaller mini laptops, that are smaller than netbooks).

Why is „.tel“ not better named ".tele", or „.teleco“, or „.telecom“ (dot tele, or dot teleco, or dot telecom)? - Would there be less confusion? Is „.tel“ confusing?
„.Tel“ probably will mean nothing to the user, until he gets his hands on .tel, and realizes, how awsome this „.tel“ is.

With the registries themselfs, it is also a case fo "first com, first serve" (served by ICANN), because the extension ".com", as well as ".mobi" would of been perfect for the electronic business card that Telnic had launched a year ago. However, as soon as a extension is properly branded and marketed, it will work, no matter, if the extension makes sense, or not, for its cause and usage (see the dot com domain, after a period of twenty five years). Because ".com" could mean this, or that, or also that. Who thinks, every time he uses a ".com" that it means "commerce"? - The only thing they know, is that they can do business with that domain, and that it is not a non-profit website, like you can find under a domain name with the extension ".info", ".museum", etc.
.
So, what is the message?:
We got to get people to know, for what the domain name extension ".tel" stands for, and they might want to take a look at it. Otherwhise they might say: "Why bother and do "try and error", and possible waste some time? After all: Isn't it ".mobi", that is for mobile phones? Is there something else, as well?" - Tell the world...
.
But seriously, folks: The DotMobi registry and Telnic better make some sort of a deal..., becaus the one registry has the name, and the other one has great functions and features, and will have the looks (very soon).

It is not the first time, that two important companies have merged together, to be more successful, in hard economic times, and in a market with a lot of competition, etc. - All those mobile phone users, and the potential ones to come: We don't want to confuse them, but we want to give them something, that they can use, and that is easy to get and to use.

Merry Christmas!